Nova Scotians to mark new Heritage Day third Monday in February

Minister of Communities, Culture, and Heritage Tony Ince poses for a photo with students at Brookhouse Elementary School in Dartmouth on Thursday. Ince was at the school along with other elected members of government to announce that a new February Holiday in Nova Scotia will be named Nova Scotia Heritage Day, which will recognize a different significant contributor to Nova Scotia culture each year. (CHRISTIAN LAFORCE / Staff)

Nova Scotians already had their new February holiday — now it has a name.

The third Monday in February will be known as Nova Scotia Heritage Day, Labour and Advanced Education Minister Kelly Regan announced Thursday.

“I love it, it’s a perfect name,” she told students at Brookhouse elementary school in Dartmouth, where the announcement took place.

Classes in schools across the province were asked to submit suggestions for the holiday and three — at Bayview Education Centre, Bible Hill Junior High and Northeast Kings Education Centre — suggested the selected name, Regan said.

The holiday will recognize a different cultural or historical contribution to the province each year. The province already announced that civil rights pioneer Viola Desmond will be the first to be recognized next year.

Communities, Culture and Heritage Minister Tony Ince told students that he is disappointed when he meets people who know about the story of Rosa Park’s stand against segregation in the United States, but not Desmond’s in Nova Scotia.

“There are many people who have done many important things that have created Nova Scotia’s heritage,” he said. “We need to make sure that they aren’t forgotten.”

The 12 honourees to follow each year after 2015 came from suggestions by students across the province.

A Grade 4/5 class at Brookhouse selected artist Maud Lewis.

Grade 5 student Nicole Joseph said she thought that having her class’s submission selected as one of the first to be recognized on the holiday “was pretty amazing. It’s quite an honour, for our class in particular, out of all in Nova Scotia to be picked. That gave me a proud moment … that’s a big celebration for our class.”

The other 11 designated honourees are:

•Mi’kmaq heritage

•The community of Africville

•Edward Francis Arab, a prominent member of the Lebanese community who was killed in action while fighting with the Canadian Army in Europe during the Second World War

•Politician and journalist Joseph Howe

•Mi’kmaq activist Nora Bernard

•Author and radio host Carrie Best, who founded the first black-owned and -published newspaper in Nova Scotia

•J. Willie Comeau, an educator, community activist and longtime MLA, MP and senator

•Grand-Pre National Historic Site

•William Hall, the first black person, first Nova Scotian and third Canadian to receive the Victoria Cross

•Rita Joe, poet laureate of the Mi’kmaq people

•Mona Parsons, who was decorated for acts of heroism during the Second World War

Ince told the students some of the names may not be familiar to them and “many people may have to Google a few of those names.”

He said later that he is happy with the first 12 selections, which were chosen by a panel.

“When I look at it, I’m quite pleased,” he said. “I think it gives us a diverse look at the contributions of people in our society and places that have affected us as a province.”

Liberal Finance Minister Diana Whalen, who pushed for the holiday for a decade while in opposition, said she’s delighted to have a name “that is uniquely Nova Scotian. This makes it one step closer to reality for me.”

She said she hasn’t planned yet how she’s going to spend the day in February.

“I’m hoping communities across Nova Scotia will step up and make some community events that are special to the winter theme,” she said, because other provinces have festivals or winter carnivals built around their similar holidays.